"The village temple belongs to dalits and there was an attempt by migrant non-dalits to grab it from our control. (TOI pic by R Baskar)While the above instances were agitations pertaining to denial of rights for specific rituals as dalits were not barred from entering temples, Tamil Nadu witnessed several temple entry agitations, as well. "This is because there is a growing awareness among dalits about of their rights and a growing intolerance against discrimination. "In fact, Tamil Nadu is one of the pioneers in the country enabling dalits access to temples. "This is because of the influence of Periyar in Tamil Nadu," he notes.

Source: Times of India August 24, 2016 05:37 UTC